Check out the advanced box score from last night’s 104-88 Brooklyn Nets blowout victory over the Utah Jazz here.
Five final thoughts on the game after the jump.
- This is Brooklyn’s offense at its finest Miami Heat-beating levels. All five starters recorded at least one assist, all five starters had at least five but no more than 13 field goal attempts, and the one with the most (Brook Lopez) was the one who was clearly dominant throughout his 25 minutes of play. The Nets looked to attack the paint first and spread the floor around that attack, and it paid dividends throughout, turning the game into a laugher by the end of the first half.
- The Nets had 13 players play in last night’s game. Everyone played at least ten minutes, and no one more than 25:29. The luxuries of a blowout, but also the luxuries of depth.
- For all the talk of Lopez’s Jazz-defying offense, that may not even be his most impressive development. Through four games, opponents are now 11-38 shooting against Brook Lopez at the rim. At 9.5 attempts per game, only five players have faced more shots per game at the rim at this early juncture, and none of them have turned back shots as well as Lopez. Small sample size? Sure. But Lopez’s ability to stay straight up and contest shots in and close to the restricted area without fouling has been a welcome and evident development early this year, and the fact that players struggle to make shots around his 7-foot, 290-pound frame and 7’7″ wingspan isn’t shocking.
- We’re only four games in, but Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Paul Pierce are all taking shots at a rate that would be the fewest per 36 minutes of their careers. Williams has said numerous times that nobody on this roster is worried about “getting theirs,” and on nights like last night’s, that’s evident.
- This final thought is reserved for the reserves, who enjoyed most of the team’s playing time in the second half. Mason Plumlee will be a lot of fun in garbage time if he keeps putting down lobs from 50 feet out. Andrei Kirilenko is getting there but not quite there yet. Shaun Livingston may not be the best backup point guard in the NBA, but he’s a pretty damn good one. Alan Anderson is fine. Mirza Teletovic makes me sad. Jason Terry had probably the quietest game of his career last night. Andray Blatche dreams about playing basketball with unicorns. Reggie Evans had a rebound rate of 12.2%, his lowest since January 13th against the Indiana Pacers.
